Lesson 4

THIS STUDY WILL HELP US TO  LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GODHEAD/TRINITY – God the Father, God the Son/Son of Man/Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. My webmaster has included numerous questions with multiple options for answers that you can interact with in our zoom study IF you desire.

Instructions: You can download this Bible study onto your machine to follow along and record your answers to the questions at the end of the study, or you can just follow along. PLEASE read and study each Bible study lesson before attempting to answer the question. Throughout our live zoom study we have included a number of semi-difficult to difficult true or false, multiple choice questions, or pick YES or NO answers to the questions. Hopefully we will make questions so people have to think and use inductive reasoning {putting the right pieces of Scripture together to find the right answers} to learn more about God!

My sisters and brothers – prayerfully this study will help us to be more secure in our knowledge and wisdom of God and Jesus Christ’s eternal relationship with Him i.e. so you can witness to the Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, other cults, the Jewish People, numerous other religions, or anyone else who does not believe there is a true living Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ being one part of the two natures of God the Son.

I am surprised as to the animosity towards Jesus. For the last 2000 years, He has been rejected by those listed above including His own People.

John 1:10-11 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him {as It’s Creator}, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. 11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own — His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own {the Jewish People} did not receive Him and did not welcome Him. AMP

I will use the Scriptures to reveal Jesus Christ the Son of Man as being eternal with numerous appearances throughout time and history. Jesus Himself shared the eternal consequences of NOT truly believing in Who He is:

John 8:23-24 He {Jesus} said to them, You {humans} are from below; I am {God} from above. You are of this world (of this earthly order); I am not of this world {I am from God’s Kingdom in the Third Heaven}. 24 That is why I told you that you will die in (under the curse of) your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He [Whom I claim to be — if you do not adhere to, trust in, and rely on Me], you will die in your sins. AMP

Exodus 3:14 {God sharing His Name with Moses} And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM {present verb tense} has sent me to you! AMP

I pray that you are not as slow and/or dense as I am! How many times have I read John 1:1-2 and missed some of the insights about just Who God/Man is! We have been taught about the spiritual Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but what we have NOT been taught is that God the Son has TWO ETERNAL natures – one as God the Son and the other as the Son of Man – Jesus Christ which makes Him totally and completely GOD/MAN!!!

Let’s study some appearances of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. I believe there are numerous appearances of the Son of Man called Theophany’s in the O. T. The definition of a theophany is an appearance of God in the Old Testament as “a presence of God,” or the image of a man. Let’s study a couple of examples of this:

Exodus 3:1-6 NOW MOSES kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back or west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb or Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 The Angel of the Lord {Who is the Angel of the Lord [see verse 4]?.} appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, yet was not consumed.  3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. 

4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here am I. 5 God said, Do not come near; put your shoes off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. 6 Also He said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. AMP

What I must do is to help us to understand that many of these sightings of God “as a man” in the Old Testament were actually the eternal God the Son/Son of Man – Jesus Christ! Please remember this about Christ:

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday {from the era BEFORE Creation, time and history started}, today, {from His human manifestation on earth some 2000 years ago} [yes] and forever (to the {end of the} ages). AMP

First, I MUST share some things that are relevant to God the Father. God the Father is Spirit, but He also has a glorified form, He had Moses stand in the cleft of a rock so he could not see anything about the Father as His glory passed by where Moses was. God the Father is MORE than Spirit!

John 4:24 God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). AMP

Exodus 33:22 And while My glory passes by {Does God the Father have an image in His glory?}, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. AMP

Jesus Christ made some serious statements/claims about His relationship with His Father:

John 10:30 I and the Father are One. AMP

John 14:9 Jesus {speaking as the Son of Man} replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father {Jesus said that God the Father LOOKED LIKE/had a physical appearance like Him!}. How can you say then, Show us the Father? AMP

Again, when Jesus compares Himself to His Father, He made some serious claims, and then He gives a brief testimony about Himself:

John 10:30-38 I and the Father are One. 31 Again the Jews brought up stones to stone Him. 32 Jesus said to them, My Father has enabled Me to do many good deeds. [I have shown many acts of mercy in your presence.] For which of these do you mean to stone Me? 33 The Jews replied, We are not going to stone You for a good act, but for blasphemy, because You, a mere Man, make Yourself [out to be] God {SIDE NOTE – The Jews have NEVER acknowledged Christ for Who He really is! John 1:10-11}. 34 Jesus answered, Is it not written in your Law, I said, You are gods? {[Small “g”] Jesus literally said this with “tongue in cheek.”} [Ps 82:6.] 35 So men are called gods [by the Law], men to whom God's message came — and the Scripture cannot be set aside or cancelled or broken or annulled — 36 [If that is true] do you say of the One Whom the Father consecrated and dedicated and set apart for Himself and sent into the world, You are blaspheming {unbelieving and condemning Him}, because I said, I am the Son of God? 37 If I am not doing the works [performing the deeds] of My Father, then do not believe Me [do not adhere to Me and trust Me and rely on Me]. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe Me or have faith in Me, [at least] believe the works and have faith in what I do, in order that you may know and understand [clearly] that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father [One with Him]. AMP

Jesus also said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father:”

John 14:8-10 Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father — that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied. 9 Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the (His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power). AMP

He also said, “No one has seen God the Father EXCEPT God the Son/Son of Man” – Jesus Christ. Listen to Jesus’ definition for “begotten God:”

John 1:18 No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, {Jesus Christ has now defined the phrase “begotten God”} or the only begotten God {The word “begotten” as applied to Jesus Christ does NOT have the SAME meaning as when applied to the reproduction process of humans.}, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, {Jesus’ definition of “begotten”} He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen {This Scripture indicates the Father can be seen!}; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].  [Prov 8:30.] AMP

John 6:46 Which does not imply that anyone has seen the Father [not that anyone has ever seen Him] except He [Who was with the Father] Who comes from God; He [alone] has seen the Father. AMP {And just WHO is this?}

John 1:1 IN THE beginning [{in the era} [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.  [Isa 9:6.] AMP

This is why there are ONLY TWO thrones in the Third Heaven – one throne for the glory of God the Father and the other Throne is for God the Son/Son of Man – Jesus Christ.

Revelation 3:21 {Jesus Christ speaking} He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne. AMP

The Holy Spirit is Spirit ONLY – HE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO FORM OR IMAGE!!! Thus He does NOT use or need a Throne because He is  OMNIPRESENT which means He is able to be EVERYWHERE AT ONCE!!!

Psalms 139:7-12 {King David speaking} Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.  [Rom 11:33.] 9 If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me, 12 Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. {Because you are the light of the world – John 8:12!}  [Dan 2:22.] AMP

Jeremiah 23:23-24  Am I a God at hand {by your side ONLY?}, says the Lord, and not a God afar off {anyplace I want to be?}? 24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? says the Lord. Do not I fill heaven{/s} and earth? says the Lord. AMP

In the Book of Daniel, the Son of Man – Jesus Christ is ushered into the presence of the Ancient of Days:

Daniel 7:13 I {Daniel} saw in the night visions, and behold, on the clouds of the heavens came One like a Son of man, and He came to the Ancient of Days {Who is God the Father} and was presented before Him. AMP

Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree of the Lord: He {God the Father} said to Me {God the Son/Son of Man – Jesus Christ}, You are My Son; this day [I declare {brought You forth/made You known}] I have begotten You [God has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known]. [Heb 1:5; 3:5, 6;2 Peter 1:17, 18.] AMP

God the Son/Jesus Christ as the “Theophany” that bartered/haggled with Abraham over the fate of the inhabitants of Sodom:

Genesis 18:16-33 The {three} men rose up from there and faced toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to bring {help/show} them on the way. 17 And the Lord {ONE of the three men} said, Shall I hide from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do, [Gal 3:8.] 18 Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him and shall bless themselves by him?  [Gen 12:2-3.] 19 For I have known (chosen, acknowledged {the definition of a begotten diety}) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous, so that the Lord may bring Abraham what He has promised him. 20 And the Lord said, Because the shriek [of the sins] of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is exceedingly grievous, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether [as vilely and wickedly] as is the cry of it which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.

22 Now the [two] men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came close and said, Will You destroy the righteous (those upright and in right standing with God) together with the wicked {Is Abraham going to BARTER with God the Son/Son of Man – Jesus Christ over the fate of the residents of Sodom?}? 24 Suppose there are in the city fifty righteous; will You destroy the place and not spare it for [the sake of ] the fifty righteous in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing — to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as do the wicked! Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth execute judgment and do righteously {Is Abraham taunting/bickering with God?}? 26 And the Lord said, If I find in the city of Sodom fifty righteous (upright and in right standing with God), I will spare the whole place for their sake.

27 Abraham answered, Behold now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. 28 If five of the fifty righteous {45} should be lacking — will You destroy the whole city for lack of five? He said, If I find forty-five, I will not destroy it. 29 And [Abraham] spoke to Him yet again, and said, Suppose [only] forty shall be found there. And He said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 Then [Abraham] said to Him, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak [again]. Suppose [only] thirty shall be found there. And He answered, I will not do it if I find thirty there. 31 And [Abraham] said, Behold now, I have taken upon myself to speak [again] to the Lord. Suppose [only] twenty shall be found there. And [the Lord] replied, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again only this once. Suppose ten [righteous people] shall be found there. And [the Lord] said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.

33 And the Lord went His way when He had finished speaking with Abraham {the Lord had a PHYSICAL PRESENCE!}, and Abraham returned to his place.

What will help you to better put this study into perspective is that we MUST remember that Christ is unchanging: So whatever He is TODAY, He was yesterday {from the era BEFORE creation, time, and history began}, He is TODAY {from His life on earth some 2000 years ago} and through tomorrow {on through the end of the age}. He is unchanging! God is unchanging!

To me this study is exciting because as we open it up we find more things about knowing just Who God is and Who God the Son/the Son of Man truly and actually is. I believe this will help you to have a more in depth knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ and prayerfully a deeper desire and wisdom to worship and serve Him!!!

As I was preparing for this study, I found a reference with about 25 different categories for the Names, Titles, and characters including their 440 supporting Scriptures for Jesus Christ. What a resource!!! If you are interested, Google:
Jesus Christ's Names, Titles and Characters - Study Resources

https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/parallel/paral19.cfm

In the next Bible Study, we will explore the ERA – the eternal period BEFORE creation, time and history began {Genesis 1:1} when there was ONLY the eternal Godhead/Trinity and the amenities {comforts} of His eternal Kingdom in the Third Heaven.

AMEN & AMEN!!!